JOLENE OGLE
Noosa Heads ambulance service received a $215,000 boost this week, with the delivery of a new Mercedes Benz Sprinter van.
The 319 model van is fitted with the latest, life-saving technology and will begin operations immediately. Member for Noosa Glen Elmes said the new vehicle would make ambulance response and transport safer and more comfortable for both patients and paramedics. The new van joins the ever expanding Noosa Heads fleet, which also received a new 4-WD vehicle last year. The Tewantin ambulance station will also get a boost with six new officers due to start in April. Mr Elmes said the new van and extra staff was part of the government’s commitment to ensuring the ambulance service has the best equipment available. “The extra staffing over at Tewantin means the coverage across Noosa, and further afield, is just enhanced to an incredible degree,” he said. Acting Assistant Commissioner for the Queensland Ambulance Service Neil Reid said the van for the Noosa Heads station and six extra staff for the Tewantin station were a “god send” and vital additions for the service. “From an ambulance point of view, the modernisation of the fleet and modernisation of our equipment is critical for us to remain contemporary in terms of being able to deliver the highest standards of care to the community that we can,” he said. “It’s quite a commitment that’s been put into the northern part of the Sunshine Coast and we’re very happy about that.”
